


Relatable {Real} Reliable

by katemiller



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Arranged Marriage, F/M, everlark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:13:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24869710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katemiller/pseuds/katemiller
Summary: Peeta is the last eligible Mellark son. His family is wealthy and their business, The Mellark Bakery, is known nation wide. Katniss works at a sporting goods store to try and help her mother pay the bills and keep the debt collectors from taking their home. When a surprising offer for an arranged marriage is made to help financially support the Everdeens, Katniss can't say no.
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Comments: 22
Kudos: 123





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was not supposed to be as long as it is - the story kind of got away from me, so I hope you enjoy it!

“My uncle commanded that I get you pregnant as soon as physically possible,” he said before taking another large drink of his wine.

She paused a moment before walking over and filling the second glass on the table. She swallowed hard and nodded before walking toward the bed, untying the bodice of her dress as she went. She slowly worked at the tangled strings with shaking hands only pausing briefly when the tie was completely loose. She inhaled sharply and slid the dress off her arms, dropping it to the floor. She turned back to him, standing in her under clothes.

He poured himself another glass of wine and downed it. He walked towards her slowly and ran a finger over the strap on her shoulder.

“I…I can’t.” He dropped his hand and turned away. “I won’t share your bed until you want me to.” He grabbed his glass and filled it again.

“And what if I never want you to?” she barely whispered.

He smirked and laughed to himself before raising his glass to her, “Here’s to cold showers,” he said before downing the rest of his drink.

* * *

“Peeta?” She gently shook his shoulder. “Peeta?”

“Mhm?” he mumbled without opening his eyes. His head was pounding and his mouth felt like it was filled with cotton.

“Peeta.” She shook his shoulder again.

“What?” he asked as he finally pealed his eyes open. The sunlight streaming into the room caused him to blink several times before he could focus on her face. “Katniss…what’s wrong?”

“I don’t have any clothes…and I need to use the bathroom.” She stood awkwardly with the bedsheet wrapped around her body.

“You’ll have to get used to the serving staff seeing you naked.” He sat up and unbuttoned his shirt. “Here.” He held it out to her. “I will go find out where your clothes are.” She quickly pulled the shirt on over her undergarments and buttoned it. “Bathroom is across the hall.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly. She cracked the door open and peered into the hallway before quickly hurrying out of the room.

Peeta stood up and stretched, sore from sleeping on the settee. He grabbed the wine bottle and tipped it back, disappointed to find only a swallow left. Dropping the bottle down on the table, he wandered over to the large dressers but found that both were empty. 

Two rapid knocks came from the door.

“Morning!” Bran leaned in the open doorway, a smirk on his face. “How are the newlyweds?”

“Funny…do you know where uncle put her clothes?” Peeta asked as he stormed out of the room, knocking his brother out of the way as he went.

“Touchy…I saw suitcases downstairs.” Bran followed Peeta down the stairs, all serving staff stopping to bow as they passed.

“That can’t be all of it.” Peeta motioned to the bottom of the stairs where two suitcases sat with a couple of boxes.

“That’s all I saw,” said Bran.

“Peeta!” Rye shouted as he hurried out of the dining room. He pulled his little brother into a hug and patted his back. “How did it go?” he whispered, but Peeta ignored his question.

“Have you seen the rest of Katniss’s things?” Peeta asked him.

“This is all that was sent over from the Everdeen’s,” one of the serving staff informed him. “Would you like me to take it up?”

“No, I can get it.” Peeta picked up the suitcases and headed back up the stairs. Bran and Rye grabbed the boxes and followed him up.

“Based on what you’re wearing, Uncle won’t be pleased with you.”

“Shut up Bran.” Peeta looked down at the dress pants and shoes he was still wearing from the night before and frowned.

Katniss was curled up on the couch when he entered, the bedsheet wrapped around her legs.

“My suitcases,” she sighed happily.

“Good morning!” Bran and Rye exclaimed as they pushed Peeta aside.

“Oh.” Katniss pulled the sheet tighter around herself.

“Your boxes.” Rye sat them down at the end of the bed and Bran stacked his on top.

“Light mover I see.” Bran motioned to the few things they had just brought up.

“Yeah…I…” Katniss trailed off, looking at Peeta.

“Alright, yes,” he started pushing his brothers towards the door, “thank you very much,” he said shoving them out of the room. “Now, don’t you two have your own wives to bug?” he said as he closed the door and leaned on it. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “You’ll get used to them.” She frowned at him, her grip on the sheet finally loosening. “I didn’t say you would like getting used to them, just that you would.” For the first time in the last three days Katniss gave him a genuine smile.

Slowly letting the sheet fall from her legs, she stood and opened one of her suit cases. He swallowed hard as his eyes traced over her frame, realizing that from now on he only wanted her to wear his shirts and nothing else when it was just the two of them.

Shaking his head he pushed himself off the door.

“I was going to go shower…if that’s okay?” she asked quietly, holding out her bathroom things.

“Yeah, of course.” He gathered the wine bottle and the glasses from the night before. “I’m going to take care of these.” Opening the door he smirked as he watched her scurry across the empty hall. “If you need anything just ask any of the staff.”

* * *

The Mellark Bakery, or as most people now referred to it TMB, had started out as a single small business front. The newly married Mr. and Mrs. Mellark, who were ridiculously in love, ran the store together. Over the course of their 65 year marriage they had two sons, one daughter, seven grandchildren, and a business that grew and grew and grew. By the time Mr. Mellark retired not only were there multiple store fronts around the state, but a new factory had been built to fulfil the demand for their baked goods around the country. Their eldest son, Arthur, stepped in as head of the company when they retired. He had married young but two short years later his wife and unborn child both died due to complications during labor; he never remarried. Their second son, Henry, managed the store fronts. He and his wife had had three sons before they both were killed in a car accident when their youngest was six years old. And their daughter, Olive, became a stay at home mom to four children when her husband stepped in to manage the story fronts after Henry had passed.

When his parents had passed, Peeta and his brothers had moved in with their Uncle Art. He remembered the first day that he set foot in the mansion. It felt wrong, too big and empty…dead, though at six he probably just told Rye that it felt _scary_. He had never particularly warmed to their Uncle. While he had never been a cruel man, never once putting his hands on them or demeaning them, he had been strict with early curfews, no dating, and requiring them to engage in apprenticeships of sorts at the company over the summers as they got older. He remembered feeling a pang of jealousy when he realized his younger cousins were being raised to think for themselves and explore their future careers – he and his brothers were expected to take large roles in running the company.

Right before Rye turned 19, their Uncle introduced him to the company’s head marketer’s eldest daughter. They dated on and off for a short period of time before Rye officially ended things, making it very clear that he would not stay with someone only to benefit the company. Their Uncle respected his choice but continued to set him up with potential suitors. By the time he was 20, Rye was engaged to a lovely girl named Emma whose father held large amounts of stock in the Bakery. They were married six months later.

Bran was 18 when their Uncle set him up with one of the board member’s daughters, Feya, to take as a date to Rye’s wedding. Having thought this would be a short fling due to Bran’s rebellious nature, their Uncle had not given much thought to the relationship until eight months later when they announced that Feya was pregnant. In a rushed engagement they were married less than a month later. Feya was pregnant for less than three months when she had a miscarriage. Their Uncle and Feya’s father had agreed upon seeking an annulment, but Bran and Feya had refused. Two years later they had their first daughter.

Peeta thought about his complicated past as he walked through the mansion toward his and Katniss’s new room and felt a pang of guilt for bringing her into it; she was young and had deserved to marry for love, not to fulfill a financial need. Sighing, he thought back through the long list of young women his Uncle had paraded through his life, none staying longer than a month or two, some only a few hours, before he apologized for wasting their time – none of these women could hold a candle to Katniss. That’s why he had suggested it.

When he overheard her talking with Madge in the store he knew he could go into her mother’s employee records and find the information he needed easily. He had left early, no one bothering to stop him although his shift was nowhere near close to being over and had headed to his Uncle’s home office; it was the middle of the day and he knew he would not be bothered. Making just a few clicks he had found what he needed. Her mother had worked on their assembly line for years now, but barely just keeping enough hours to hold on to the insurance. He knew, based on simply being in the same class as Katniss for years (his Grandmother had forbidden their Uncle to put them in a private school) that her sister was often sick when she was young and that her mother suffered from her own mental and medical concerns as well. With the fact that her father had passed when she was ten, there was no way her mother had made enough money to support all of their bills on her own.

He had spent a week preparing the idea before bringing it to his Uncle.

“Peeta!” Captain called as he walked in. “Come to check on your bathroom?” he asked with a laugh.

“Hey Cap! Yeah, just checking.” He leaned in the doorframe and looked around at the progress – it didn’t seem like there was anything else left to do. “Are you done?”

“Just finishing up a few minor details, but you and your beautiful bride will be able to move in this evening.” He gave him a wink and Peeta willed his cheeks not to flush.

“Thanks.” He nodded awkwardly before hurrying away to his old room.

When he got there he threw the lock, closing his eyes, and took several deep breaths, suddenly realizing that his headache was intensifying. Sighing for what felt like the hundredth time that morning, he opened his eyes and forced himself towards his old bathroom. He turned the water to as hot as it would go before stepping in, hoping to melt a few layers of guilt and shame off his skin.

There was a soft knock on the door followed by her voice.

“Peeta?”

He quickly pulled on a clean pair of pants and yanked open the door.

“You found me,” he attempted a joking tone but wasn’t sure he had managed.

“Yeah, one of the staff walked me over.” She pointed down the hall.

They stood awkwardly staring at each other before his brain snapped to attention and he stepped aside to let her in.

“I figured I would grab a shower as well.” He added as he decided on if he should leave the door open or not. He chose not.

“So this is your room?” she asked, sitting down in one of the oversized arm chairs in the corner.

“Used to be.” He sat down on the end of his bed. “Katniss,” he paused, making sure she was giving him her full attention, “I need to apologize for my behavior last night.” She stared at him as a look of confusion slowly crossed her face. “Actually for the last three days.” He swallowed hard and continued. “My uncle and I have not been seeing eye to eye about several things lately and I shouldn’t have let it affect my mood…especially yesterday. I am sorry.” She frowned and looked at the ground for a moment.

“Peeta,” she looked up, “thank you for the apology, but there is no need…this is not necessarily a traditional marriage and things could have gone far worse.” She gave him a small smile. “Actually, I feel the need to thank you for last night.” He remembered the look of fear on her face when he had touched her.

“Simple human decency.” He waved his hand.

“A lot of other guys would have taken advantage of the situation.” She met his gaze briefly before turning away. “But you’re not like other guys,” she added in a whisper. He did not respond. “Why couldn’t we just stay in here last night?”

“My uncle didn’t feel that this bed would be…suitable enough for a married couple.” He felt the blush creeping along his neck as he imagined her crawling into the bed he had thought about her in so many times. He coughed and stood up. “Why don’t we stop by the kitchen, grab some breakfast to go, and I can give you the official tour…I know that you have been shuffled through several different parts of the mansion over the last three days and if this is going to be your new home, you should probably know how to get around.” He stood up and opened the door.

“Great – I’m starving.”

* * *

When they stopped by the kitchen, Sae was happy to whip them up a couple of breakfast burritos to go. She had always been fond of Peeta and his willingness to help her out when he had the time, so it was no secret that he was her favorite of the four Mellark men and it drove his brothers crazy. He could practically hear Bran pouting that he had had to eat pancakes that morning while Peeta got burritos.

Sometime around Rye’s 16th birthday, their Uncle had done a major reconstruction job on the mansion, preparing different wings of the house. Peeta remembered at the time not understanding the implications of the remodel; it was a slow realization over time that not only was there the expectation that they would take over roles at the company, but that they would also continue to live in the mansion with their families. Bran had made his opinion about the matter known but when his Uncle threatened to cut him off if he left, he and Feya found themselves making the mansion their home.

“I’m going to need a map and a family tree to figure this place out,” she sighed. “Are there really days that you go without seeing your family?” He laughed at her question, remembering a three week stretch when he thought Rye had extended his trip but in reality he had gotten back two weeks earlier.

“Sometimes weeks...while there is the one main dining room, both Bran and Rye’s families each have their own family room that they will sometimes eat separate meals in. Now that we are all a little older, we do usually cross paths at some point during the day.”

“Wow…my sister and I were always tripping over each other every day.” She gave a sad smile. “Sometimes I think that is the best part of our house, we’re always together…Well, we were.”

“Your mom and sister will just have to come have dinners in our family room.” He stopped walking.

“Oh,” his comment had pulled her out of her head, “That would be nice.”

“Good.” He smiled awkwardly before remembering why they had stopped. “So this is it…as I said they were just finishing up some details in the bathroom when I came by earlier…they should be done now.” He had remembered how furious his Uncle had been when it was discovered that there was an issue with the water and it wouldn’t be ready for their wedding night.

Katniss stepped in and was quiet as she looked around the room.

“All of this is ours?” she finally asked. He had to admit, it was a tad over the top, but he was used to it. She on the other hand, was not.

“Yes.” He nodded.

“It’s just so…white.” She was frowning.

It took him a second to register what she had said and when he did he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Uhh, yeah, it’s very bright.” He looked around at the white walls and bed sheets, noticing that even the couple of chairs that were placed in the room were white as well. He started to frown too but then noticed her fidgeting. “What is it?”

“Are we…I don’t know if this is silly…” she stumbled over her words, the pink tint returning to her cheeks. “Are we allowed to paint?”

“Huh.” Peeta looked at the walls, an idea forming in his head. “Katniss, I do want you to be happy here, so if painting is what it takes then painting we will do.” She gave him a small smile.

“I know that I’ve been standoffish but I really do appreciate you saying that.” She took a step towards him, looking like she wanted to reach her hand out, but decided against it. “You had always been one of the good guys at school.”

He took a deep breath and exhaled into a smile.

“I tried.” He nodded, another idea coming to him. “Hey – we have the whole day to do whatever we want…why don’t I take you shopping?” He paused, trying to gauge her response. “We can get some new furniture - we’ve got plenty of room in here and I’m sure once you see our family room that you will want to redo it as well. Plus, I could use some new shirts.” He didn’t, but if the two suitcases she had were the only clothes she owned, he knew that their closet would feel overwhelming to her and hopefully he could convince her to let him buy her some new outfits to wear.

“Okay.”

* * *

Their first stop had been to look at paint. This had been fairly simple as they both shared similar tastes and had picked new colors within a half hour. Peeta had called Captain and explained that they were having paint sent home and what they were hoping for – he said they would start working on it as soon as the paint was delivered. The first hour of looking at furniture had been painful and awkward. He found several pieces that he liked but wasn’t sure how Katniss felt and her response to everyone was a simple nod and _yeah, that’s nice_. After the tenth _that’s nice_ he thought his head was going to explode.

“Stop it!” he had snapped at her, not meaning it. She had stared at him, round eyed and taken aback. “Sorry, it’s just…I really did mean it when I said I wanted you to be happy.” He had sighed and given her his best apologetic smile. “I really do want your opinion.”

“I know…I just feel weird about it.” She had stood there, wringing her hands. “I can’t help you buy any of this…” her words had been so soft.

“Isn’t that part of the point of us getting married?” His question had been quiet, hoping not to insult her. To his surprise she had given him a halfhearted shrug and pointed out a couch and chair set that she liked. It went perfectly with the colors they had picked out earlier.

After getting all of the furniture paid for and set to be delivered in two days (when Captain had promised that all the painting would be done and dried) Peeta dragged a very tired looking Katniss to “help” him pick out some new shirts.

“We’re having a family dinner tomorrow…why don’t you let me buy you a new outfit for it?” He had decided this was as good a reason as any to get her into the women’s department.

“Peeta, if you think I need new clothes, just say so.” She was grasping the sides of her jacket tightly and he realized her harsh tone was due to embarrassment and not anger.

“Kat, I promise that is not what I meant by that.” She looked up at him suddenly but didn’t say anything. “I like your style.” _I_ really _like your style_. “But I did carry your suitcases upstairs this morning and I just want you to be able to enjoy some of the perks of this marriage.” She relaxed her grip slightly. “Plus, if I don’t take you shopping, Emma and Feya will.” She raised an eye brow at him. “Bran and Rye will comment on your light packing.”

“Fine!” she sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”

* * *

It was close to dinner when they had gotten home and Peeta had instructed the staff to take all of Katniss’s new clothes down to be washed right away.

“I’m never going to have to do another load of laundry, am I?” She had meant it to be sarcastic, but one of the staff that was taking the bags from her shook his head quickly.

“Of course not miss.” He had been so serious that it caused Peeta to start laughing.

“It’s the newlyweds!” Feya sang as she walked down the stairs. “Been out shopping?”

“Hey Fey.” Peeta pulled out his phone and frowned.

“Uh, yeah.” Katniss forced herself to say when she realized he was no longer paying attention. “Peeta took me to get some new furniture for our room.”

“And clothes.” He chimed in again, pocketing his phone. “So no need to torture her with a girl’s day, got it?” Feya feigned shock.

“I’m hurt by that accusation.” She rubbed her small baby bump. “Your niece is also shocked at your accusations.” Peeta scoffed at her.

“Whatever, Fey!” he called as he guided Katniss up the stairs. “I had the staff move your stuff to my old room for now.”

“Okay…I thought your Uncle didn’t want us staying in there?” she asked as she tried to remember the way to his old room, thankful that he was there to guide her.

“I’ve already pissed him off today, so might as well just keep it up.” He winked at her. “Granted, I did just send a text to Sae asking her to have dinner sent up to the room so we wouldn’t have to cross paths with him.”

“Was he the reason you were frowning?”

“You caught that, huh?” He slowed his pace and opened the door to what she thought she had remembered to be an office. “I guess my attire this morning when I grabbed your suitcases led him to some assumptions.”

She grimaced when she realized what he meant.

“Your Uncle’s pissed that we didn’t…” she trailed off as she looked at the bed.

“Consummate the marriage? Yeah.” He pulled off his shoes and tossed them in the corner with more force than was necessary. Sighing, he hung his head and breathed deeply.

“Peeta?” she asked when he didn’t move.

“I think I’m going to go swim some laps…I need to clear my head.” He yanked open the door to his closet and stepped in, shutting it behind him.

It was her turn to sigh.

Taking off her shoes, she placed them near the door, unsure where else they should go, and went to dig through her boxes for a book. Peeta emerged from the closet in his swim trunks before she could even open a box.

“I’ll be back later…dinner should be up soon and if you need anything just ask – ”

“Ask one of the staff?” she said in a sarcastic tone, an eyebrow raised.

“Yeah.” He nodded once and hurried out of the room.

Frowning she turned her attention back to her searching and quickly found her tattered copy of The Giver. She grabbed a blanket that was folded at the end of the bed and curled up in the corner of the couch. She had just gotten into a good rhythm of reading when there was a knock at the door, ready to be pissed that someone was interrupting her reading, she remembered that Peeta said dinner would be up soon and she was never mad at food.

Sae had sent up two large plates of beef stew along with an entire loaf of bread. Thankfully, it had already been cut and was still warm. She buttered several pieces of bread and took the plate back to the couch with her, continuing to read. She was more than half way through the book when Peeta came back, hair still dripping and towel slung over his shoulder.

“Hey.” His voice was quiet and she couldn’t read his face.

“Hey.” She lowered her book, giving him her full attention, but he didn’t say anything. “Hungry?”

“Starving.” She could tell the smile he gave her was forced, but didn’t say anything. “I’m going to change before I eat.”

They spent the rest of the evening in on again off again conversation. When she finished her book she brushed her teeth and changed into her pajamas – glad for the sleep wear tonight. When she had stepped out of the bathroom, she saw that Peeta had made up the couch for himself – he looked as tired as she felt. As she climbed into his bed, she couldn’t help but notice his smell on the sheets, which he had promised her had been washed only two days before. She inhaled deeply and let the smell overwhelm her as she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Peeta woke before she did and he had to force himself not to stare at her sleeping figure. _You will_ not _be a creep! You will not be a creep!_ He repeated to himself as he quietly walked to the bathroom to get ready. She was still asleep when he was showered and dressed, so he left her a note letting her know that he was grabbing breakfast in the dining room and that when she was ready she should join him.

When he walked in Rye was already there with his youngest, Nathaniel, who was just six months.

“Good morning,” Rye said with a smirk. “I see you two are doing a major facelift to your room.”

“She didn’t like the white,” he responded flatly. He was happy to see that Sae had made his favorite that morning, Sausage Gravy and biscuits, along with scrambled eggs and a large selection of fruit. “It was the least I could do for her.”

“I think you’re doing a great deal more for her than just letting her paint a room.” As he talked, he scooped some eggs onto a spoon for Nate.

Peeta scoffed at him as he sat down with his plate and started eating.

After having wiped up most of the egg that Nate had drooled down his face, Rye turned to him and pinned him with a stare.

“You still haven’t told her that it was your idea, have you?”

“And how do you propose I bring that up to her?” He slammed his hands on the table. “By the way, it was my idea that we get married because I know how poor your family is but I only did it because I like you!” His loud voice had startled Nate and he was now crying. Peeta sighed and ran a hand over his face roughly. “I’m sorry bud.” He stood up and took his nephew, bouncing and patting in hopes of soothing him.

“Peeta,” Rye took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. “I get that this is complicated for you because of your feelings, but I think that is the exact reason you need to tell her.”

“I know you’re right, I just need to find the right time and I don’t think that is now.” He lifted Nate higher in his arms and made a funny face at him. “What about you? Do you think now is the right time? No? Agreed!” He sang in an animated voiced before blowing a sherbet on his cheek. Rye just shook his head and took advantage of the free hand he had to eat with.

Within the next few minutes the rest of his siblings had made their way into the dining room. His niece, Regan, and his oldest nephew, Joshua, loved him - they had ran in and attacked his legs instantly while Emma rescued her youngest from Peeta’s arms. After helping wrangle them into seats to eat breakfast Peeta sat down to finish his own plate, which was mostly cold now.

“Where’s your bride?” Feya asked as soon as she could get a word in.

“She was still sleeping when I left.” He shrugged and shoveled another bite of food in.

“So Pete,” Emma used her soft mothering voice, “I noticed that you and Katniss were back in your old room last night.” No one talked expect for Regan and Josh who babbled at each other while they ate.

“And?” he finally asked.

“That twin sized bed must be pretty snug for two people,” Bran commented, a smug look on his face.

“It’s technically a full,” Peeta said as nonchalantly as he could manage. “And I slept just fine last night,” he added, hoping no one else would comment.

“I’m glad for that, although, I do believe the temporary bedroom we had arranged for you would have been better suited.” The deep voice from the entry way drew all of their attentions. “Good morning, everyone,” Uncle Arthur seemed to throw in as an afterthought.

“I think Katniss and I were both more comfortable in my room.” Peeta squared his shoulders as he talked.

“Your old room.” Art reminded him. “Which I expect you to clean all of your stuff out of when your new room is ready.”

“Of course.” Peeta agreed.

Art nodded and turned his attention to serving up his breakfast. His siblings feel into an easy conversation around him, which their Uncle joined when he sat down. Peeta did not. He pushed his food around his plate while he pretended to listen, thinking of the conversation between himself and Rye.

Peeta excused himself from the table and made a new plate of hot food to take up to Katniss – he was sure that she wasn’t ready for the entire family this early in the morning.

* * *

The timing of their wedding had been perfect as it fell over Peeta’s spring break and he had two weeks off to help get Katniss adjusted to the new living arrangements. They spent most of their days together avoiding his Uncle, and getting to know each other better.

“I have to go back to work on Monday,” he mentioned as they were walking through the gardens.

“Do your classes start back up too?” She stepped closer to him to avoid an overgrown plant. He noticed that she did not moved away when the path become unobstructed again.

“Yes…and because of that, I have an early birthday surprise for you.” He couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his lips.

“Birthday surprise?” she asked skeptically.

“Yup.” He popped his lips on the last letter.

“My birthday isn’t for another three weeks.”

“I know.”

“Peeta,” she reached out and placed her hand on his arm, stopping his forward motion. He liked when she did little things like this and to his pleasure they were becoming more and more frequent. “I don’t need anything for my birthday. You already let me decorate our rooms and bought me an entirely new wardrobe…plus, I now live in a house that has an indoor and outdoor pool.”

“And while I am glad that you like all of that,” he placed his hand over hers, “Those aren’t birthday presents. Also, I wanted to you have something that was truly yours…come one.” He linked her fingers with his and pulled her after him, out of the gardens. Coming to a sudden stop, he held his arms out in front of him. “What do you think?”

“Oh…my…gosh,” her words were slow and quiet, a look of disbelief on her face. “Really?”

“Your very own archery range! When your mom and sister were here I sent one of the staff back with them to collect your bow.” He grabbed her hand again and walked her into the supply room that was attached to the pavilion. “I hope it was okay, but I had some tune up work done on it yesterday.” He showed her where it was hanging, surrounded by all of the shooting equipment she could ever want.

“More than okay!” She happily picked up her bow and rang a hand over it. “Can I?” she pointed over her shoulder.

“Please.” He found a spot leaning against the wall to watch as she shot several arrows down the range, hitting the middle ring of the target every time.

“This is amazing!” She turned toward him, a big smile on her face. “What made you think of this?”

“I remembered that you were on the archery team in school.” He pushed off the wall and walked to her. “And you were good.” She blushed. “Plus, when Regan and Josh are a little older you can teach them how to shoot.”

“I would like that.” She grabbed for another arrow but stopped. “Do you know how to shoot?”

“Barely…I know the basics.” He gave a little chuckle.

“I saw there were other bows in there…can I show you?”

Several hours later they were laying on the lawn, a large blanket spread out with a basket of food for lunch.

“I’m terrible,” he said as he handed her a water bottle. He caught the smirk on her lips as she ducked her head. “Oh, I’m worse than terrible?” he asked, laughing.

“No!” she rushed to say, but couldn’t stop the laugh that she was trying to hold in. “Okay, maybe…that just means you’ll have to practice.”

He didn’t respond but just nodded with a small smile on his face.

She sat up suddenly, crossing her legs underneath herself. 

“Peeta?” Her voice was quiet as he looked up at her. “Thank you…this really means a lot.”

“I’m glad you like it.” He opened his mouth to say more, but stopped short when he saw the look she was giving him. “What is it?”

“I just…” she trailed off as she leaned down to press her lips gently to his, surprising him. It was a moment before he responded, his brain finally clicking on, _SHE’S KISSING ME!_ Gently he placed his free hand on her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. After several wonderful seconds, she sat back and he could see that her cheeks and neck were bright red. “Sorry.”

He looked at her, processing what she meant before sitting up and cradling her face in both of his hands.

“Don’t be,” he whispered before kissing her again. It was several minutes before they fully broke apart, lips red and chests heaving. His hands were still on her face as he rested his forehead against hers. He was highly aware of her hand on his arm and the other on his thigh, supporting her. “I hope that was okay.” She nodded and leaned back out of his hold, taking her hands with her. “I’ve been wanting to do that since you said yes to the arrangement,” he whispered, worried that it would be too much at once.

But she smiled and brushed a curl out of his eyes before gently running a finger over his lips.

“Let’s eat something.”

* * *

“I’m going to apologize now because my alarm is going to go off at 6am tomorrow.” She frowned from her seat on the couch – he adored her grumpy face. “But at least I come barring popcorn now?” he offered her the bowl as he sat down.

“Thank you.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

Since the picnic, their physical contact had increased exponentially. While they had not shared another kiss like the one they had had that afternoon, she had been kissing him on the cheek frequently and the past two nights he had been allowed to give her a kiss good night (which she had broken off with an embarrassed smile). All of this was of course decided upon without any conversation as Peeta had discovered that Katniss did not like to talk about her feelings.

He smiled and settled next to her.

“I have to work too…getting up a little earlier than usual will be good for me.” She grabbed the remote and started clicking through the menu.

“Wait, what do you mean you have to work?” he asked, a perplexed look on his face.

“I mean, I _have_ to work tomorrow.” She shifted so she could see his face better. “I took off the same amount of time as you did.” Peeta frowned. He knew that she worked at the sporting goods store down town but had been fairly certain that his Uncle would not like the idea of her going back there now that they were married. When Fey and Emma had joined the family neither of them had jobs and both were only taking a few credits at the University. “Why?” she asked, a concerned look on her face. “I know that Emma and Fey both stay home with the kids now, but did they not work before?”

“No…I am not even sure if they finished the college courses they were taking. They started doing volunteer work right away – my Uncle loved the idea and they were able to represent the Bakery.” He paused, noticing that she was thinking this over. “They still do some volunteer work, but most of the time they spend with the kids.”

She sat forward and placed the popcorn on the coffee table.

“What did you think I would be doing tomorrow, if not working?” Anger was creeping into her voice.

He gave her an apologetic look and shrugged.

“I’m sorry Kat, I really didn’t think about it.” He felt like shit; he had been so focused on making her feel more comfortable in the mansion that what she would do when he was working completely slipped his mind.

She stared at a spot on the wall, her face screwed up in concentration. Sighing suddenly, she sat back and looked at him.

“Then I guess I’m just going to go to work tomorrow.” She grabbed the bowl of popcorn and started flipping through the menus again.

He wanted to argue and say that his Uncle would be mad and that he wouldn’t allow it and and…and who cared if it pissed him off? If Katniss wanted to work, she should be allowed to work.

“Okay.”

It was barely a month later when Uncle Art requested to speak with both of them about Katniss’s continued employment at the sporting goods store. Neither had been surprised by the request, but while Katniss remained quiet, and sitting, throughout the conversation, Peeta paced and had to fight to keep himself in check.

“As Mellarks we have a reputation to uphold and – ” Art had started to say.

“And working at a sporting goods store is not a reputation boost?” Peeta snapped. Art said nothing as Peeta held his glare.

“It’s okay, Peeta, really,” Katniss said in an attempt to diffuse the situation. He dropped his glare from his Uncle’s and turned to her with kindness in his eyes.

“No it’s not. I know how much you like working there.” He squatted down in front of her, taking her hands. “It is important to me that you are happy.”

“And I really appreciate that…but I can be happy without the store.” She squeezed his hands in an effort to reassure him.

“My comment on our reputation was in regard to our volunteering. We have been lacking since your sisters-in-law have had children and now that we have a new family member, I think this would be a good opportunity…for the both of you.” He gave Peeta a pointed look.

“You want both of us to volunteer?” Peeta asked as he stood up.

“Yes,” Art stated simply. “Also, this would give Katniss time to take some college courses…if she desired,” he added. “And Peeta you can still test recipes or work in the store fronts from time to time.”

Peeta eyed his uncle, his brow furrowing.

“Thank you Uncle, that is a very…thought filled idea.” While he could not tell his Uncle he felt his offer was thoughtful, he could tell he had thought it over…a lot.

“Katniss, I had one of the staff leave information on some of the course at the college that don’t require prerequisites or a graduation plan in your family room.” Art ignored Peeta’s comment.

“Thank you…I will look at them.”

“Very well.” Art looked at his watch. “If I may have a moment with Peeta?”

“Of course!” Katniss practically shot out of her chair without another word and shut the door behind herself.

Peeta stared at the closed door, wishing he could have followed after his wife.

“Peeta.”

“Uncle.” He turned on his heal and sat in the chair on the opposite side of the desk from Art.

“We haven’t spoken since your vows were exchanged.” He had his hands folded on the desk. “How are things going?”

“Do you mean, is she pregnant yet?” Peeta scoffed. “It’s only been a month.”

“You must know how this marriage looks to the outside…a young woman of no financial standing suddenly marries the last Mellark son…the one society deemed as the most eligible of the three.”

“Are you calling me handsome, Uncle?” Peeta’s words were dripping in sarcasm.

“Stop it Peeta!” Art slammed his hand on the table and Peeta straightened in his chair. “You and Katniss were not involved before your marriage and people _will_ wonder! You volunteering with Katniss will give society a chance to see you two together, get to know you….see how much you love each other.” His voice was hard and his words were clear. “This is a good opportunity.” Peeta set his jaw and breathed through his nose. “Do you understand?”

“Completely.”

* * *

Katniss was looking out the window while she talked on the phone when he walked into their room.

“Sorry again, Haymitch.” There was a pause and then she hung up. After a moment of silence she chucked her phone towards the couch but missed. “AHH!” Breathing deeply she stared at the phone on the ground before stooping to pick it up. “Shit,” she sighed as she ran a finger over the screen.

“We can get it fixed tomorrow.” She whipped her head around at his words, startled.

“Okay,” she whispered.

Peeta held out his arms and without hesitation she walked into them, burying her face in his chest.

“I’m sorry you’ve had to give up so much,” he whispered. Her grasp around his middle tightened as he held her. “Do you want to talk about it?” She shook her head no, but after a moment she looked up.

“I don’t want you to think that I’m not grateful for everything that your family has done for mine.” She loosened her hold on him and laid her palms flat against his back as she talked.

“I know you are.” He gave her a reassuring smile.

“I also know how much you gave up by agreeing to this marriage too…you could have had – ” He silenced her by smashing his lips to hers and holding her tight against him. He felt her momentary shock as she stiffened in his arms but quickly she melted against him, gripping his shirt tightly.

Over the past month Peeta had enjoyed the carefree kisses that she had started to allow him to bestow upon her – a quick kiss before he went to work or a kiss right below her ear as she braided her hair just to name a few of his favorites. And as she become more comfortable with the physical contact the more she had opened up about herself as well.

“Do you know how much I’ve gained with this marriage?” he whispered when they broke apart. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again and looked down, her chest still heaving. They stood together, their breathing returning to normal. “What is it?” he asked. She shook her head but looked up at him. “Can I kiss you again?” She responded by pressing her lips to his quickly before pulling back again.

“Can we watch a movie?” she asked quietly. Peeta raised an eyebrow; it was late and he knew that she wouldn’t be able to make it through an entire movie. “I’m still frustrated and I just want to crawl into bed…but I don’t want to think or talk.”

“Okay.” He kissed her forehead and let go of her. “I’m going to change and brush my teeth.” By the time he was done in the bathroom she had already changed into her pajamas and was curled up under the comforter.

“Here.” She held the blanket back and looked up at him. Peeta did his best to keep his face neutral as he slid in beside her, but stopping his thoughts from running wild was impossible, especially after he had settled down to watch the movie and Katniss had moved so she was laying, cocooned in his arms.

Not even half way through the movie she was asleep, her hands pressed against his chest. For him, the movie was long forgotten as he enjoyed feeling like he was protecting her from something.

With a sigh he reached for the remote and turned the movie off. As gently as he could he placed a kiss on her forehead and attempted to extract himself from her arms so he could settle on the couch and hope for sleep to come. But as he slipped away from her she gripped the front of his shirt in her fists and he stopped.

“Stay with me?” she asked, her voice thick with exhaustion. He smiled at her and moved back so she was wrapped in his arms again.

* * *

“The outreach team is communicating with our charities and non-profits…we’ll have a schedule soon, but for now, the next couple of days are ours to do with as we please.” Peeta had had breakfast brought up to their family room, along with Katniss’s favorite coffee. He had been quiet while she drank about half of it, waiting for the caffeine to kick in.

“We have an outreach team?” The tone of her voice made it sound like that was the stupidest thing she had ever heard of.

“Not you and I…but the company does,” he replied, handing her the bowl of strawberries.

“Oh…” Her face lit up with understanding as she placed the barriers on her plate. “That makes a lot more sense than us having one.” Peeta shook his head at her as he ate. “So what were you thinking then?”

The food caught in his throat at her question; he had been hoping she would propose something as everything he wanted to do involved little to no clothing.

“Umm,” he swallowed hard and took a drink. “Do you want to visit your sister?”

“That’s a really sweet thought, but Prim isn’t done with school for another week or two.” She smiled at him and took another bite of her waffle, thinking. “What about going for a swim?”

Suddenly, he was no longer hungry. He had only ever seen Katniss in a swimsuit once and it was a for a school event. He had no memory of the event but he was ashamed to say that he remembered every detail of her that day. He frowned at himself as the memory resurfaced…he did not want to be the pervy guy.

“I thought you liked swimming?” she asked.

“What?” He blinked several times, trying to refocus.

“We can do something else,” she offered.

“No!” He was not going to give up time with Katniss in a swimsuit. “Swimming sounds great.”

* * *

“We are so happy to have TMB representatives back with us.” Sue, the founder of the children’s home, had practically been jumping up and down when they had arrived, though Peeta was pretty sure that actually had more to do with the donation check he was carrying from his uncle than he and Katniss’s presence. “With TMB’s donation last year we were able to make some much needed renovations, would you like a tour?”

“Of course, that would be great.” Peeta nodded.

“Are we going to get to meet some of the kids that stay here?” Katniss had been quiet since they arrived, smiling politely and laughing when appropriate, but letting Peeta handle most of the talking.

Sue smiled broadly and nodded.

“If you would like to, I think the kids would enjoy it as well.”

Katniss simply smiled.

“I know this wasn’t discussed prior, but if we could I would love to use your kitchen and give the kids a short demonstration of how we prepare our muffins,” Peeta said. “I brought everything we will need.”

“They would love that so much,” Sue gushed.

Less than an hour later Peeta and Katniss were in the kitchen demonstrating how to make their chocolate chip muffins. When Peeta had proposed the idea to her the night before, she had told him it was a terrible idea as all of her baking experiments had failed when she was still living at home. _I can cook, but I can’t bake_. He had scoffed at her, telling her that he would do all of the hard stuff.

“And now we fill our muffin tins.” The kids were completely captured by Peeta and followed his every move. “Katniss, if you can hand me that tray?” He set out the muffin pans and looked at the kids. “Who wants to help fill?” Every hand shot up. “Perfect!”

After twenty minutes of pure chaos most of the tins were filled and in the oven baking. Peeta had encouraged Katniss to take the kids into the play room while he cleaned up. She had joked with him, “Do you even know how to wash a pan?” He had shooed her out of the room.

When he was done he found Katniss on the floor, two small girls in her lap who were reading their favorite book to her.

“Hey,” he said quietly as he crouched down to their level and placed a kiss on her cheek.

“Hi,” she whispered back.

“Are you two married?” The dark haired look girl looked up at them with round eyes.

“Yes,” Peeta answered with a smile. “Are you two best friends?”

“YES!” The two girls giggled and fell off of Katniss’s lap before standing up and running over to the play kitchen where they decide they were going to make muffins.

“They’re sweet,” he said as he stood. “The muffins are almost done.” He reached his hands down and helped Katniss to her feet.

“Okay.” She gave the girls one last look and followed Peeta back into the kitchen.

As he pulled the muffins out of the oven he noticed a far off look on her face.

“What’s going through your head?” he asked, setting the last tin down and pulling her into his arms.

“When my dad died my mom got lost in herself – she barely had enough energy to make herself get out of bed in the mornings, let alone take care of Prim and I.” She furrowed her brow as she stared at his chest, unable to meet his eyes. “About eight months after he passed I found her standing in the bathroom. She had a bottle of pills in one hand and a note in the other…she was just standing there, staring at herself in the mirror. I didn’t understand at the time but I remember feeling scared when she didn’t respond to my questions.” A tear slid down her face. “She finally snapped out of it when I tried to take the note from her.” She cleared her throat and wiped at her face, stepping out of Peeta’s arms. “But anyways, we, uh, ended up spending about three weeks with the Hawthornes while she was at the hospital.”

Peeta swallowed hard, searching for the right words.

“That must have been hard.” He slowly reached for her hand and she let him take it. “What made you think of that?”

“Had I not been there that day, Prim and I probably would have ended up here.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m glad that we are here today.”

“Me too.” He brought her hand up and kissed it. “Why don’t I propose to Sue that you and I make it a regular thing to come bake with the kids?”

“I would love that.” She wrapped her arms tight around his middle and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Thank you.”

* * *

Peeta frowned as he stood outside of his Uncle’s office. For the last three months he and Katniss had followed the Outreach Team’s schedule for them. They had not deviated from what was expected except for the addition of baking with the Children’s Home, but Art had loved the idea at the time. He was flustered as he racked his brain thinking of a reason his Uncle would want to see him.

After several more seconds of fruitless thinking, he gave up and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” his Uncle called. “Ahh, Peeta, sit.” Art closed the folder he had been working on and smiled at his nephew, a rare occurrence.

“You wanted to talk with me?” he asked as casually as he could.

“Yes. We’ve been getting great feedback from the organizations that you have been visiting and we noticed an increase in sales after the article was published.” Peeta and Katniss had both felt weird about the article that praised (and praised and praised and praised) them for their volunteer work representing TMB.

“I’m glad things are going well.” Peeta really had been enjoying his time doing outreach work. “Katniss and I are really appreciative of you approving the baking days at the children’s home, as well.”

“Well, it was a great idea.” Art rarely gave praise.

“Thank you.” Peeta had to stop himself from phrasing this like a question.

Art nodded and an awkward silence settled over them.

“How are things going between you and Katniss?” So this had been the real reason Art had asked to talk with him.

Peeta sighed at the questions and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Uncle, it’s been less than five months – ”

“Peeta, stop.” Art waved his hand, cutting Peeta off. He opened one of his desk drawers and pulled out a newspaper. “Here.”

Peeta took the paper and looked at the picture on the front page. He was shocked to find it was of him and Katniss. Over the weekend the family had played in a golf scramble fundraiser for the homeless shelters and foodbanks in the area. Everyone one in the family had been there but the picture and the article focused mainly on him and Katniss.

_Newly Weds Pave Humanitarian Path for Family Business_

“Oh,” was all he could say.

“I like this article,” his uncle responded simply. “The board has been commenting on how you two seem to be a good fit.” Peeta had to bite back his snarky comment about where he felt the board members could stick their opinions. “Many feel that her background and family status actually make this a smart match…and personally, I think she is a great fit for the family and for you.” Peeta frowned in confusion.

“Uncle, what are you saying?” he asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Art sighed and gave him what Peeta would almost consider an apoplectic look.

“In light of how receptive the community has been to the addition of Katniss into our family, I feel that you were able to take full advantage of the opportunity of showing your connection with her,” he took a deep breath, “With that being said, I no longer feel the need to pressure you for proof of consummation.”

Peeta repressed his urge to shutter at the word _consummation_ and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Please tell me this is the last conversation we will have to have about my sex life?” he asked in attempt to lighten the mood. To his surprise it worked and his Uncle laughed before dismissing him.


	2. Chapter 2

Six months wasn’t a long time. Peeta knew this. Hell, he was going to be 21 soon and that was his whole life, in respect to that, six months was nothing. But the past six months, while they had seemed to fly by as he spent time with the only girl he had ever had real feelings for, also seemed like the longest thing he had ever gone through. He had never found abstinence a difficult thing before; when he was in high school he was not allowed to date and when his Uncle had started to present _suitable_ women for him, he had not wanted to give anyone the wrong impression.

But with Katniss, he felt weak. He wasn’t sure he had ever seen anyone as beautiful or more attractive as her and she was seeping into every part of his mind. He hadn’t slept on the couch in months, instead he slept with his arms wrapped around her. She had been so careful about her modesty around him in the beginning but lately, instead of her regular pajamas she had started to wear one of his shirts over her underwear to bed. He was taking a lot of cold showers and was both hoping for and dreading the day he saw her in only her bra and panties, worried that he might truly malfunction – he didn’t even dare to think of seeing her naked.

If he was being honest, the days that they both worked on their college courses were the best for him. He was able to plug his headset in and shove his nose in a book or a paper and not have to think about his beautiful wife that he wasn’t having sex with. The only thing that disappointed him was that this was his last semester of courses and come the first of the year he would no longer have scholastics to distract him.

“You look tired, dude.” Bran slapped Peeta on the back as he came into the dining room. “Didn’t get much sleep last night?” he asked suggestively.

“I wish,” Peeta muttered under his breath as he poured his second cup of coffee.

“Are you two still not – ”

“I’m not talking to you about this!” Peeta snapped as he waited for his bagel to be done in the toaster.

“OH!” Rye rounded the corner with a big grin on his face. “I’m glad you’re both here – Peeta, I want to talk to you about your birthday party!”

“Dude, did you know that they still aren’t sleeping together?!?” Bran asked, exasperated.

“Oh.My.Gosh.” Peeta wanted to smash his face into the toaster.

“I thought you said everything was going well?” Rye asked as he poured himself a bowl of cereal.

“It is...can we not discuss this?” he begged. Bran and Rye exchanged looks before shrugging in unison. “Thank you.” He sat down and started assembling breakfast sandwiches.

“So about your birthday.” Rye smirked as he stared at his little brother.

“We were thinking since we never got to give you a proper bachelor party,” Bran started.

“And the fact that 21 is a big mile stone,” Rye continued. “We were thinking – ”

“Whatever you were thinking, no thank you.” Peeta interrupted them.

“But come on man – strip club!” Bran whispered excitedly.

“I don’t want to go to a strip club.” Peeta shook his head uncomfortably. “Besides, I highly doubt Emma or Feya would want you guys to go either.” He wrapped the second sandwich he was making in foil. “And honestly, do you really want to see other woman half naked when you are supposedly married to the loves of your lives?”

“That was low man!” Bran pouted as he sat back in his chair.

Rye chuckled quietly and shook his head.

“When did you get to be the wise one?” he asked.

“Since I’m the only one not getting laid,” he muttered as he stood up. “Really guys,” he said speaking clearly, “I don’t need anything special for my birthday, besides the big Gala is that night – I won’t want to do anything more.”

“Where are you going?” Bran asked.

“Away from you,” Peeta said with a smile as he left the room.

“Peeta?” Katniss’s voice came from their closet.

“I brought you breakfast,” he called as he sat the plate down on the coffee table.

“Thank you…Emma and Fey are here,” she called back. “They brought me dresses for the Gala.” He could hear the other two murmuring to each other.

“I think I like the other one better.” “But that one looked amazing too.” “Oh, wait, this is it!”

“Peeta, come here – we want your opinion!” Emma demanded in her polite mom voice.

“Coming,” he mumbled to himself and picked up his sandwich. Unwrapping it part of the way he took a large bite as he stepped into the closet. “What can – ” he inhaled when he saw her and immediately regretted it. Attempting to remain dignified and to dislodge the large hunk of bagel that was now sitting at the back of his throat at the same time seemed impossible.

“Are you okay?” Katniss asked, taking a step towards him.

Peeta nodded his head and held up his hand, signifying he would need a moment. He quickly stepped out of the closet and ran to the bathroom, gulping down a large amount of water from the faucet. Now able to breath, he took a moment longer, preparing himself to go back.

“Sorry about that,” he said stepping back in. “Eating and talking at the same time…not a bright idea apparently.”

“Sure, that was it.” Feya’s words barely registered in his brain as he stared at Katniss.

She was still as she was when he had first come into the room. Standing on a small platform, she was wearing nothing more than a lacey black bra and a matching set of panties as Feya and Emma held up dresses.

“Peeta!” Emma snapped her fingers at him.

“Huh?” He turned his attention to his sister-in-law.

“Which one do you like more?” She pointed between the dresses that she and Feya were holding.

“I think that either of them would like very nice,” he managed to say. Emma and Feya exchanged knowing looks and hung the dresses back up on the rack they had wheeled in with all of the dresses.

“Why don’t we leave them for you to look at and you can let us know later?” Feya was already heading out of the closet, with Emma on her heals.

“Yeah, we have to get the kids feed anyways…bye.” Not more than ten seconds later their bedroom door was clicked shut.

“You didn’t like either of them?” Katniss asked as she pulled off the shoes. He stared at her a moment longer, watching as her hair slid over her smooth skin.

“Can I be honest?” he asked as he slowly walked over to her. She gave him a questioning look but nodded yes. “I wasn’t paying any attention to the dresses.” An instant blush rose on her cheeks and started to creep down her neck. “Wear what makes you feel comfortable.”

“Well, I’m most comfortable in sweat pants and a hoodie…but as this is my first Gala and a fundraiser, along with your birthday, I should probably look presentable.” She reached for a pair of pants on her shelving unit, but stopped when she saw the look at his face. “What?”

“I think you look presentable,” he whispered as he slid one hand around her bare waist and the other into her hair. “Very presentable.” He pressed his lips to hers and she responded by pressing her body fully to his and securing herself there with her arms around his neck. He had discovered that she liked it when he gently bit her bottom lip and when he did it just the right way, he could elicit the most perfect of moans from her. And today was no exception.

Except for his response today was different. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting to happen. His gorgeous wife was half naked and pressed against him moaning into his mouth…and he thought his body would behave itself? _What an idiot!_

He froze as he noticed his body responding, hoping that she hadn’t noticed yet. Realizing that she was still lost in their kiss, he attempted to angle his hips away from hers, loosening his hold. It wasn’t helping; his mind had already betrayed him.

“Uhh….Kat…I…you,” he said between kisses, attempting to pull his lips away. She stopped when she realized he was actually trying to say something. Swallowing hard, he now was at a loss for words. What was he supposed to say? The truth? _I’m really attracted to you and I keep thinking about how much I would like to – NO!_ “I really should get started on my paper.” He extracted his limbs from hers and turned quickly, hoping she still hadn’t noticed.

* * *

Katniss grabbed a hand full of arrows from the box she had brought with her and filled her quiver again. She stepped down the line and squared up to shoot at a new target. She let the first three arrows fly without really thinking about it, all hitting within centimeters of each other in the middle circle. With the next four arrows she made a square on the left side of the target and with the last three she made a triangle on the right side.

“Hey!” Feya’s voice came from behind her. She turned to see both of her sisters-in-law walking towards her. She gave a half-hearted wave and filled her quiver again.

“How did this morning go?” Emma asked excited before she was close enough to see Katniss’s face. “Were you able to make some progress?” They stepped under the pavilion and their smiles vanished. “Oh, I’m sorry sweetie.”

“What happened?” Feya asked, as she sat down on the bench, Emma sitting next to her.

Katniss paced as she chewed on her thumb nail, her bow still in her other hand.

“I don’t know.” She kept walking as she talked. “I thought everything I had been doing was working and that this morning was supposed to be like...some stupid grand finale where it finally happened!” She threw her hands out in exasperation and almost lost her hold on her bow. “Damn!” she cursed under her breath and sat it down.

“Okay,” Feya moved to the edge of the bench with a serious look on her face. “Flirting with lots of touching?” Katniss nodded. “Lingering kisses and cheek kisses as often as possible?” She nodded again. “Cuddling when appropriate and lots of it in bed?” She nodded furiously. “And most importantly, have you been wearing his shirts to bed with just a pair of panties?”

“YES!” Katniss threw her head back, bringing her hands up to cover her face. It was more than enough to feel the embarrassment by herself but sharing the fact that her husband did not seem to want to sleep with her with Fey and Emma seemed worse. “Do you think he just isn’t attracted to me?” she whispered, looking back at them.

She hated herself the minute the question left her lips. She had never once been the girl to care about what others thought of her, least of all what a boy thought of her. Never had she participated in _girl talk_ at school…not that she had a pack of girls to talk to anyways. She spent all of her time with either Gale or Madge; with Gale they talked hunting and archery, keeping her mind clear and happy. With Madge she was able to talk about the real stuff, like her mom’s money problems or Prim’s health. Now that she had Emma and Fey, she understood why girls did _girl talk_ and she was very thankful for their words of encouragement.

“Listen,” Emma stood up and grabbed her by the shoulders. “That man is in love with you and loves everything about you. I have no doubt about it.” She gave her shoulders a little squeeze before letting her go.

“Katniss, he looks at you like you can walk on water.” Fey gave her a smile and stood up. “Come here.” She pulled Katniss into a tight hug. “Now, how long have you been out here?”

Katniss gave a little shrug and motioned to the last of her arrows.

“That box was full when I started.”

“There are only like ten left.” Emma had tipped the box so she could see how many where in there. “How many come in a box?”

“100?”

* * *

Katniss sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. Never would she have picked out this dress for her self-conscious self but Fey and Emma had said she looked amazing. When she had first tired it on, she had felt very exposed as it was only one shoulder and gave her far more cleavage than she had ever shown. It was fitted across her chest and under her bust line but flowed freely from there. Across her back were four thick straps that held her dress in place but left much of her skin free to the wondering eye.

The dress was gorgeous and she felt beautiful but for the last two weeks Peeta had barely been bothered to talk to her, let alone touch her. She hadn’t even seen him that morning but had simply found a note on his pillow saying that he would be busy until the Gala and that he would be back in time to take her. She was nervous and didn’t want to ruin his birthday, but knew that if she was ever going to have the confidence to share what she was feeling with him it was when she was looking like this.

“Hey Kat, are you about re – ” His sentence stopped abruptly and she looked over her shoulder to see him standing in the doorway of their closet, a stunned look on his face.

“Hey!” She forced a smile on her face and turned to face him. “What do you think?...It has pockets!” she added happily as she slipped her hands into them.

“Wow,” he breathed. “Kat, you look stunning.”

“Really?” She hated herself for feeling like crying.

“Yes!” He smiled broadly and walked quickly to her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her soundly. She melted into him, relishing his strong hold. As he drew back he ran his thumb over her bottom lip.

“Happy birthday,” she said in a whisper. He gave her a shy smile and kissed her gently on the nose before stepping back.

“Ready?” he asked holding out his hand.

“No even remotely…promise not to leave me?” She slowly slid her hand into his as she talked.

“Promise.” He squeezed her hand.

* * *

“Well that wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.” She watched as he pulled off his bow tie and dropped it on the table. “You?” he asked as he pulled off the tux jacket, tossing it on a nearby chair. 

“With you there, it was tolerable.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I have something for you.” He raised an eyebrow. “It is your birthday.”

“You didn’t have to.” But she was already walking away from him.

At the back of their closet she moved aside the clothes that were hiding the wrapped box and hurried back to Peeta, who was still in the middle of removing the many layers of his tux.

“Happy Birthday!” She held out the box, a big smile on her face. He took it, eyeing her suspiciously and gently shook it. “Open it.” She nudged his arm and he obliged her, quickly pulling off the paper and removing the lid.

“Kat…” he whispered as he sat the lid down. “How did…?” he looked up at her.

“When we were in school your paintings were always the best in art class.” She pulled out one of the blank canvases. “I may have stumbled upon your old studio the other day and Rye said you hadn’t been in there in ages, so I figured you could use some new supplies.” He was smiling at her. “Everyone helped me out and your studio is fully restocked with new paints, brushes, sketch pads, pencils – ” She was cut off mid-sentence by his lips on hers; his hands holding her face gently.

“Thank you,” he said when he finally broke away from her.

“You’re welcome.” She put the canvas back in the box. “Maybe you can paint for me?”

“I’m a little rusty,” he said as he grabbed the lid, putting it back on the box, “but I would love that.”

“I…I uhh,” she watched as he moved the box out of the way, “I have one other present for you.”

“Is it a new set of measuring cups?” he joked. She managed a weak smile as she shook her head.

“No, not measuring cups.” Swallowing hard, she took a step towards him. “You said that you wouldn’t share my bed until I wanted you to.” The smile faded from his face as he looked at her. “And I think I want you to.”

A silence fell over them and for a split moment she felt the panic rising. But then he reached his hand out to her and she took it. He ran his hand slowly up her arm and rested it against the back of her neck, rubbing her jaw with his thumb.

“Are you sure?” There was a strain in his voice that told her that he wanted her too.

“Yes.” She nodded her head and stepped into his arms, pepping his face with kisses. “Completely.”

* * *

Peeta woke first, per usual, and turned to watch his wife, his _naked_ wife, sleep. _Damn, she’s beautiful._ He gently swept her tangled hair from her shoulder and kissed her skin. He dragged his nose up the curve of her neck and nuzzled her under her ear. She groaned and brought a hand up to push him away, but he caught it in his and brought her palm up to his lips.

“Morning,” he said when she finally opened her eyes.

“Hi.” She slowly pushed herself up on her elbows so she could press a kiss to his lips.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he traced a finger across her skin.

“Perfect,” she said, her voice still thick with sleep.

“That’s good.” He continued to trace his finger over her shoulder. “I liked my birthday presents very much, by the way.” She was eyeing him. “What?”

She paused a moment, smiling at him before pulling his lips down to meet hers in a slow and deliberate kiss. Shifting his weight he moved so he was lying next to her but her needy hands pulled him until he was hovering above her.

“Please,” she said in a whisper and he was more than happy to oblige her.

The night before had been more than anything he had imagined. They had been uncoordinated and awkward, bumping heads and kneeling on each other’s legs, but it had been perfectly them. This morning was different, they were both stiff and sore from the night before but their slow pace only added to the pleasure, leaving them feeling heavy and drunk with it.

“We should probably go get breakfast,” Peeta said breathlessly. He had forced himself to stop kissing her and look at the clock. She sighed at him and raised her head, checking the time for herself.

“Come shower with me.” And as she crawled out of bed, holding her hand out for him to join her, he had no other choice but to follow.

* * *

“Kat, you have to stop moving,” Peeta reprimanded her, stopping mid stroke.

“Sorry.” She gave a little sigh and settled. She smirked as he started again and couldn’t help but notice how cute he looked when he concentrated. “You know, you bite your tongue when you concentrate?”

“I’m well aware.” He gave her a mocking glare and continued with his strokes. “Woman!” He threw his arms in the air. “You have to stop moving – it’s getting all smudgy!” She couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer.

“I’m sorry but it tickles!”

“This was your idea,” he reminded her. “Here.” He stood up and helped her to her feet. “This might help.” He moved his chair back and knelt in front of her, continuing the pattern from her thigh over her knee, down her calf, and wrapping it around her ankle.

Katniss had been talking about tattoos for weeks now. She had told him that she thought they were beautiful and she would love one, but was far too nervous about the needle to actually get one. He had been able to find some semi-permanent ink that simply needed to be drawn on. He had gotten back into painting and drawing after his birthday and felt confident enough that he could draw what she wanted…that was until she told him that she wanted a design that covered more than half of her leg.

“Alright…I’m almost done.” He smiled as she did a happy dance. “But you will have to stay put while this dries and sets.”

“Right...will you bring me a snack?” She gave him her best flirty smile possible.

“You do know that we have staff that are literally paid to do that?” he asked as he put the finishing touches on her ankle.

“Yes, but it means more when you do it.”

“Oh!” He put down the ink tools and removed the gloves. “I see.” He stood up and gave her a kiss. “Then your wish is my command.” He gave her a sarcastic bow. “Will you settle for me grabbing dinner from downstairs and getting us set up to watch a movie?”

“Yes!”

* * *

Katniss smiled as she walked down for breakfast. The mansion had been decorated for the holidays and Christmas was right around the corner – everything smelled of eggnog, ginger bread, and pine. She had convinced Peeta to get a real tree for their family room as the one in the main parlor was fake due to its sheer size. She was happy to see all of the other decorations, such as the wreaths, the holly, and the mistletoe were all real, but she still wanted the perfect tree. She had even made him go out with her to the tree farm to cut it down – their picture had of course landed them on the front page news again.

“Well, well, well…good morning.” Bran leaned back in his chair and surveyed her over the top of his coffee mug. She furrowed her brow in confusion and looked from him to Fey, Rye, and Emma, but none of them gave further explanation.

“Good morning.” She grabbed a plate and started serving herself.

“Where is your hubby?” Emma asked softly.

“Peeta was just getting out of the shower when I left…why?” she asked, suspicious of her in-laws.

“Will he be joining us, then?” Feya asked with a slight sarcastic tone.

Katniss didn’t answer right away but finished filling her plate before coming to the table.

“Yes,” she said slowly, “Peeta will be coming down for breakfast.” She poured herself a cup of coffee, still watching them, feeling like maybe eating in their room would have been smarter.

“That will be nice. All of us together for breakfast.” Rye picked up his coffee and sipped it slowly.

“Okay…” Katniss took a bite of her food, willing Peeta to hurry up and join her in the awkwardness.

“Speak of the devil!” A Grinch like smile spread across Bran’s face when he saw Peeta.

“Hey – morning!” Peeta gave his family a smile, completely oblivious to the strange exchanges that had just been had. “Heck yes – my favorite!”

“We were just commenting to Katniss that it will be so nice to have breakfast all together,” Rye said as he stood up for a second helping.

“Yeah!” Peeta still hadn’t clued in as he happily doctored up a cup of coffee before coming to sit between Katniss and Josh. “Hey bud!” He gave his nephew a _boop_ on the nose.

“Since your birthday Peeta, we feel like we just haven’t seen that much of you two,” Emma said as innocently as possible.

“We know you’re busy, but is something keeping you guys…tangled up?” Fey tried to keep a straight face as she talked but failed miserably, breaking out into a giggle fit, along with the other three.

“Haha, very funny.” Peeta rolled his eyes but Katniss felt her cheeks growing red. With Prim just now turning 16, she had never talked with her about things like this and she didn’t know how to respond. “If I remember correctly, Rye and Emma, you two extended your honeymoon so many times you were gone for two months.”

“Hey now, it was only seven weeks…and three days,” Emma added with a shrug.

“And Bran and Feya – don’t even get me started on you two…I think we all still have nightmares about your one year anniversary.” He gave a little shudder to emphasize his point.

“I will not apologize for that.” Bran put his arm around Fey and kissed her on the cheek, causing her to giggle again.

They all fell into easy conversation after that and Katniss leaned over to give him a kiss in appreciation for saving her.

“Speaking of honeymoons, Peeta, when are you going to take your beautiful bride on one?” Rye asked. There came a chores of _yeah_ ’s from the other three as she looked at Peeta and realized he looked like a deer caught in head lights.

“It is not a big deal,” she said, looking back at the other four. “You know, we’ve already been married for like eight months…we don’t need a honeymoon.” She waved it off and shoved the last bite of food in her mouth, hoping they would leave it.

“No, Katniss!” Feya protested. “You guys totally deserve to go on a honeymoon! As Peeta mentioned our one year anniversary was…an event, but we went on a trip after that. Things like this don’t get a time limit.”

“Definitely!” Emma spoke up. “Obviously Rye and I loved our honeymoon, otherwise we wouldn’t have extended it so many times.”

“Peeta, you have to take her!” Bran added. The other three started ramping up, trying to give Peeta reason after reason of why they needed to go.

“GUYS!” Peeta finally yelled. The four of them fell silent. “First of all, we get it.” He pointed between himself and Katniss, who nodded in agreement. “Second of all, thank you for ruining her Christmas present.”

Katniss frowned as Emma and Fey gave excited claps.

“Wait, what?” she asked, still not completely understanding. Peeta chuckled and shoved the last bite of his food in his mouth.

“Come on…you have a Christmas present to open early.”

* * *

“It sounds like we have everything covered for while you’re gone.” Rye closed the file he had and leaned back on the couch. “I’ll be honest, I’m glad you waited until after the first of the year to take her…your volunteer schedule was a nightmare the past couple of months.”

“I know.” Peeta nodded and checked through the contents of the suitcase he was packing.

“Dude, I think that’s that third time you have looked through that…what are you worried about leaving behind?” Rye sat forward again as he talked.

“Uhh…” Peeta walked over to his bedroom door, peered out into the hall, and then closed it. “Can you keep your mouth shut?”

“So you have a surprise for Miss Katniss.” Rye smiled and stood up. Peeta nodded and dug his hand into the suitcase pulling out a small velvet box. “Ahh, I see.”

“I just want her to know that this is more than an arranged marriage.” He popped open the box and showed Rye the ring. “Right now we just have the simple gold bands and she deserves more.”

Rye barely looked at the ring as he snapped the box shut.

“Have you told her that you were the one to suggest the marriage?” he asked. Peeta avoided his eyes as he shoved the ring back into the suitcase and zipped it up. “I’m going to take that as a no.”

“I don’t see why it matters at this point.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Things are amazing between the two of us.” Grabbing the suitcase he swung it down to the ground. “I’m going to take her on our honeymoon, give her the new wedding band, and tell her I love her.” He finally looked up at Rye. “That’s all that matters.”

“Yeah, okay. Things could be totally fine.” Rye nodded his head as he talked. “Until,” he stopped moving and stared down his brother, “someone mentions that you have had feelings for her since you were young and that when you found out that her family was having financial issues, you begged our Uncle to arrange a marriage with her to save her family home so you could marry your crush!”

“That is not why I talked to Uncle about arranging the marriage,” he defended himself. “It was not a rash decision.”

“Really?” Rye scoffed and headed towards the door. “Go ahead and lie to yourself all you want about your motives for asking Uncle, but just remember, the longer you wait to tell her, the worse the outcome could be.” He yanked open the door and stormed out.

“Hey Rye,” Peeta heard Katniss’ voice from the hallway and took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself before she came into the room. “Gesh, what’s his problem?” she asked as she stepped into the room and closed the door.

“No idea.” He attempted a nonchalant tone, but he wasn’t sure he had managed it.

“All done packing?” She wrapped her arms around his middle and rested her chin on his chest.

“I think so.” He kissed her forehead and forced a smile. “I actually think I’m going to go swim a couple laps.” He kissed her again and broke out of her hold.

“Oh, okay.” She sat on the couch, a frown on her face.

“What?”

“Nothing, just…is something wrong?” she asked, folding her legs up under her.

“No.” He stepped into the closet and grabbed his swim trunks. “Why?” he asked as he changed, but she was silent until he came back into the room.

“It’s just that you only do laps when you are upset about something,” she said, her voice full of concern.

“No I don’t.” He heard the doubt in his voice and knew that she was right. “I’ll be back soon.” He headed for the door.

“Peeta wait.” He turned and saw her walking towards him. “Talk to me,” she said, taking his hands. He sighed and let his shoulders fall. “Please?” she raised one of her hands to his face and cupped his cheek. He pinched his eyebrows together as he stared at her. Shifting his head slightly, he kissed the palm of her hand.

“Okay.” He nodded and let her lead him to the couch. They sat, knees touching, still holding hands. He was quiet as he thought about how he wanted to tell her and absentmindedly rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

“Did you and Rye get into a fight about something?” she asked quietly.

“No…kind of.” He took a deep breath and sighed. “What do you remember of my Uncle’s offer for the arranged marriage?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you remember why he said he was offering the arrangement…what it would do for The Bakery and the family?” She slowly nodded her head as she thought.

“Relatable, real, and reliable,” she nodded her head as she said each word. “I made the family more relatable because I wasn’t from high society. Our marriage, despite it being arranged, would look real because we had not been introduced through your Uncle or The Bakery. And it made the business look reliable as it brought attention to my mother having worked there for so long…why?”

He looked at her and squeezed her hand, trying to memorize how it felt in his. Those words that she had said, those were his, not his Uncle’s.

“It was my idea,” he whispered. She sat up straight and looked at him with a furrowed brow.

“What do you mean it was your idea?” Her voice was hard and she had pulled her hands away from him.

He took a deep breath and explained everything, how he had heard her and Madge talking in the store that day about their bills and how this time she wasn’t sure what they were going to do. How he had searched her mother’s work history and the loans that she had taken out through her paycheck. That he had liked her for a very long time and he was worried that his Uncle would soon make him pick a bride despite the lack of chemistry. How he had sat in his room for a week, ignoring everyone so he could think of a way to sell the idea to his Uncle because they had more than plenty of money to wipe away their debt. That he had asked his Uncle, once he had agreed to it, to not tell them it was his idea.

As he talked he could feel her drawing further and further away. She had stood up at one point and was now facing away from him, her arms wrapped tightly around her middle.

“I just wanted to help your family.” He finally finished. He waited quietly for her to speak; he was desperate to pull her back into his arms.

“No…” she shook her head. “No, you didn’t.” She turned around and glared at him, angry tears spilling down her face. “You didn’t want to help me. You just wanted to trick me.” Her words felt like a slap across the face.

“What?!” He stood up and walked towards her, but she held up her hands. “I never wanted to trick you.”

“I thought that we had gone into this marriage on the same footing…that we had learned to care for each other despite our situation, but no.” She took a step back, her hands now balled into fists at her side. “You saw me at my lowest point and took advantage so you could get what you wanted!” She was visibly shaking now.

“That is not what it was, I promise you.” He walked forward and grasped her shoulders. “These past ten months have been the best of my life and I need you to know that I love you.” He felt her flinch as he said the words.

“Don’t say that to me…” she whispered, her words like fire.

“Kat, please, you – ”

“And don’t call me that!” She threw herself out of his arms and ran towards the door.

“Where are you going?” he asked, following after her.

“Home!” she shouted as she sprinted down the hallway. Her words were like a knife in his heart and he stopped dead in his tracks.

He waited for her to come back and after a few hours he tried calling her, but found that her phone was still on the couch. In a desperate attempt to reach her, he texted Prim, not expecting to receive a response but an hour later a text came through letting him know that Katniss was there but that she did not want to talk to him right then.

Not bothering to change out of his swim trunks or to pull the comforter back, he feel asleep in the middle of their bed, hoping that he would still have a wife come morning.

* * *

Both her mother and sister were home when she burst through the door, startling them. She had run the entire way there leaving her lungs burning as she fell into her mother’s arms. Deep cries ripped from her chest as she sobbed until she was numb. Without asking for an explanation, Prim and her mother ushered her into a hot bath. They both silently worked around her, Prim washing her hair as her mother made them tea and set out clean clothes. Once wrapped in her mother’s good robe and sipping on her tea, her mother set to combing through her hair and braiding it.

“Are you ready to talk?” she asked quietly as she worked her fingers through her hair.

She nodded her head slightly and felt the sting of tears in her eyes again as she started talking.

“Oh honey, I’m so sorry.” Her mother squeezed her hand. “But I’ve seen the way he looks at you – he genuinely cares for you.”

“Mom, he lied to me!” she sat forward and put her cup down. “I really thought that we both had been at the same place when we got married, but he just didn’t want to marry some girl that his Uncle threw at him…he took advantage of our rough situation.” Her mom took a deep breath and sighed.

“Well, what are you going to do about it then?”

“What do you mean?” Katniss was taken back by her question.

“What are you going to do?” Her mom gave her a sharp look. “You’ve only got two choices honey…divorce him or stay married to him.”

“If I leave him, we’ll lose the house and the debt collectors will take everything…I can’t do that to you and Prim.” She looked horrified at the idea. Her mom gave her a sad smile and stood up.

“Look Katniss,” she placed her hands on her shoulders, “Don’t worry about that – we’ve worked through it before and we can work through it again…this is your decision to make.” She kissed her head. “Good-night my girls, get some sleep.” She kissed Prim on the head as well and headed off to her room.

Katniss picked up her tea again and finished sipping on it as Prim got ready for bed.

“Can I sleep in here with you?” she asked as Prim walked back in.

“Of course.”

Katniss smiled at her and sat the cup down, crawling under the sheets as Prim turned off the light. She felt the bed dip as Prim slid in and felt a pang in her chest when she realized that she was longing for Peeta’s arms to hold her.

“Katniss?” Prim’s voice drew her out of her thoughts.

“Yes?”

“Does it really matter whose idea the arrangement was if you both love each other now?”

* * *

Rye, Emma, Fey, and Bran sat and watched as Peeta paced back and forth along the length of his family room. They had been trying to calm him down, urging him not to do anything drastic, but he had already called up the family lawyers to draft up divorce papers for Katniss.

“I know you said she was angry, but don’t you think that this might be a little impulsive?” Emma asked. “We’ve seen the way she looks at you…she’s crazy about you.”

“You didn’t see the way she looked at me…the way she flinched when I told her I loved her.” He stopped pacing and dropped down onto the other couch. “She despises me.”

“No, I don’t.” Peeta jumped to his feet at the sound of her voice. Part of him, a large part, wanted to run to her and bury her in his arms, never letting her go again, but the other part, the smaller, more sensible part, told him to give her space, so he stood rooted in place.

“We’ll give you guys some space.” Feya nodded and got up, leading the other three out of the room.

“I’m glad to see you,” he said, breaking their silence. She smiled and he could tell it was forced. “Do you want to sit?” He motioned to the couch and she nodded, coming to sit next to him.

“I was really angry with you yesterday and – ”

“Mr. Mellark?” One of the staff stood in the entry way, looking very uncomfortable. “I was told you would want these right away?” He held up a large yellow envelope.

“Oh, yes.” He held out his hand and the staff hurried to hand it to him. “Thank you.” They both feel into silence again as the staff left the room.

“What is it?” she finally asked.

“Oh, uhh…” he stumbled, unsure how to let her know. “I…uhh, I had these drafted up for you this morning.” He handed the envelope to her and watched in pain as she opened it. “I didn’t want you to worry about your mother’s financial standing – there’s an entire clause in the paperwork about it.”

She stared down at the papers but he couldn’t read her face. He watched as she flipped through the document quickly before letting it fall closed.

“Divorce papers?” her voice was small and those words on her tongue broke his heart.

“I didn’t want to make this harder than it needed to be,” he whispered, blinking back tears. She was silent as she gripped the document, her hands crinkling the paper. “Obviously take all the time you…” he stopped talking as he watched a tear roll down her cheek and splash onto the papers. And another one. And another. “Katniss?”

“I don’t need any time.” She tossed the papers onto the coffee table and grabbed his face, bringing her lips to crash down on his. Without hesitating, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap. They kissed and explored each other’s mouths like they were afraid the other was going to disappear. When their urgency had started to diminish they slowly broke apart, wiping their mingled tears from each other’s cheeks. “I don’t want a divorce.”

“I don’t want one either.” He kissed her nose gently before resituating themselves on the couch. “I’m so sorry, Kat, I should have told you sooner.” She gave a contented sigh and closed her eyes, rubbing her nose along his.

“You’re the only one who calls me that, you know?” She opened her eyes and looked at him. “I used to hate it when I was little but I liked how it sounded coming from you.” He kissed her cheek.

“I am really sorry because what I did was selfish…I should have just told you how I felt.”

She inhaled deeply and let out a steading breath.

“You could have asked me on a date,” she agreed, a small smile on her lips now. “Last night Prim reminded me of how little reservation I had when the agreement was proposed to me and looking back I realize now it’s because it was you.” He allowed a small smile to slip onto his lips. “She also asked me if it really matters whose idea it was if we both love each other now.” _Love?_

“Both love each other?” He tried to keep the excitement out of his voice…he knew that no matter how well this conversation went he was still in big trouble for lying to her.

She gave a small nod.

“I’m in love with you,” she whispered.

“I’m in love with you too.” He kissed her hard, not wanting to let go of the feeling.

“I’m still mad at you,” she said, breaking free from his lips.

“Understandable.” He brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “I promise to not keep anything from you again.”

“Thank you.” She gave another sigh and closed her eyes, settling her forehead against his.

He smiled as he held her, glad to have the rest of his life to make it up to her.


End file.
